Method for creasing cigarette wrappers to control tobacco burning



H. A. LEBERT 3,392,735

July 16, 1968 METHOD FOR CREASING CIGARETTE WRAPPERS TO CONTROL TOBACCO BURNING Filed March 26, 1965 TIEllIi: E...

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INVENTOR H ERBERT A. Lassa-r TIE; EI

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,392,735 METHOD FOR CREASING CIGARETTE WRAPPERS TO CONTROL TOBACCO BURNING Herbert A. Lebert, 8 Corte Dorado, Millbrae, Calif. 94030 Filed Mar. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 442,950 2 Claims. (Cl. 131-20) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method for creasing cigarette wrappers to control tobacco burning and preclude formation of high temperature smoke fractions above approximately 1000 Fahrenheit, wherein a die member is provided with an opening of a predetermined diameter, and cigarettes are advanced endwise through this opening to compress each cigarette and crease its wrapper, and then removing each cigarette thus treated from the opening to allow the wrapper to spring back to provide air spaces between the wrapper and tobacco particles of the cigarette, these spaces being sufiicient to hold the distillation of smoke fractions to the desired temperature.

Background 0 the invention In my copending application on an Embossed Wrapper Cigarette for Preventing Formation of High Temperature Smoke Fractions in Burning Tobacco, Ser. No. 300,580, filed in the United States Patent Ofiiceon Aug. 7, 1963, now Patent No. 3,228,402 dated Jan. 11, 1966, it was pointed out that the smoke fractions in cigarette smoke which are formed or distilled at the higher burning temperatures are harmful to the smoker and are not required to obtain satisfactory smoke, and those fractions coming off-above 1000 Fahrenheit are considered high temperature fractions.

Moreover, in the above-identified copending application, it was pointed out that the light aromatic, low temperature fractions can be driven off or out of the tobacco in the smoke producing zone by air that has been heated to the 400 to 1000 Fahrenheit range, and it was therein proposed to keep the smoke producing air from being heated above that range, and this was accomplished by providing a controlled air entrance space between the paper wrapper and the tobacco particles in the smoke producing zone directly in back of the glowing ember. This space was provided by embossed or raised spots on the inner surface of the paper wrapper to hold the rest of the 0 paper away from the tobacco particles.

In my United States Patent No. 2,667,170, dated Jan. 26, 1954, entitled Crirnped Wrapper for Cigarettes, triangular pleats were fashioned in the paper wrapper by a crimper to provide the required air entrance spaces.

In another copending application on a Cigarette With Paper Wrapper Treated for Ember-Charring Action to Prevent Formation of High Temperature Smoke Fractions in Burning Tobacco, Ser. No. 351,616, filed in the United States Patent Office on Mar. 13, 1964, now Patent No. 3,285,253, dated Nov. 15, 1966, it was proposed to treat the paper wrapper so that the heat of the glowing ember will partially burn, i.e., char the paper wrapper and char and/ or shrink the layer of tobacco particles next to the paper for a substantially predetermined distance back from the point of contact of the paper wrapper with 3,392,735 Patented July 16, 1968 "ice the glowing ember to provide air entrance passages, this charring taking place between puffs by the smoker.

Summary Further work in the field of cigarette smoking and with special reference to the controlled combustion of cigarette smoke has resulted in cost reduction improvements for devices to be used by the smoker as a do it yourself approach on cigarettes already manufactured. However, the present improvement can also be used on cigarettes in the process of manufacture, if desired.

It is proposed to provide a simple die member which will take a standard 8 mm. diameter (.315") cigarette and by compressing this cigarette the correct amount so that after removal from the die and allowing the normal spring back, the proper air spaces between the paper wrapper and tobacco particles will remain. As pointed out in the foregoing copending applications and patents, the air spaces should approximate a space equal to a gap .001" thick by the circumference of the cigarette which is about one inch in length, or a total air space of approximately .001 square inch in area.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Drawing For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which:

FIG. 1 is a face view of one embodiment of my die member having an opening extending therethrough and which may be used to carry out my method;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, taken along the plane 22 of FIG. 1 and disclosing a cigarette being advanced through the opening;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a cigarette rod showing the latter moving through the die member of FIG. 1 during manufacture of cigarettes in a conventional cigarette making machine;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a second embodiment of my die member wherein an opening is formed in a matchbook cardboard cover for creasing a cigarette;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the plane 5-5 of FIG. 4 disclosing the cigarette being creased;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a third embodiment of my die member wherein a hollow rivet or grommet surrounds the die member opening; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of a fourth embodiment of my die member wherein the hollow rivet or grommet surrounds an opening in the base portion of the matchbook.

While I have shown only the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that various changes, or modifications, may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

Detailed description Referring now to the first embodiment of my invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, I provide a die designafed generally at A and having a die member 20 provided with an opening B extending therethrough. This opening is frusto-conical and defines an entrance end 21 substantially conforming to the diameter of a standard 3 cigarette C, the latter having a paper wrapper 22 enclosing particles of tobacco 23. The opening B further dcfines an outlet end 24 having a smaller diameter than the cigarette, whereby the cigarette will be compressed and the wrapper creased, as at 25, when the cigarette is moved through this opening as suggested by the arrow 26. The opposite ends of the opening B are rounded on small radii where they blend into the opposite faces 27 and 28 of the die member. A small straight cylindrical portion 29 may be formed near the outlet end of the opening, and the end 24 is slightly greater than the portion 29.

Without being confined to dimensions, the larger end 21 of the opening B may be made the size of a cigarette (.315") and the cylindrical portion 29 about .045" less or .270". While all conventional cigarettes are now made from paper that is 28 mm. wide and are finished into a rod that is 8 mm. in diameter (.315), the various brands of cigarettes do vary in compactness or the amount of tobacco. Some will pass freely through the .270" opening while others will be very tight. If an optium size were to be made for each of the various brands of cigarettes the size could vary from .270" to .300". I find that a practical yet effective size is .285 as it will obtain the desired results on the loose cigarettes as well as on the extra firm brands of cigarettes. In other words, it saves the making of various sizes of dies. However, the range of .270" to .300" is contemplated and the midpoint or .285" is the preferred size. For cigarettes larger or smaller than 8 mm. or .315 diameter, the size of the opening will be in proportion.

Cigarette C may be started through the opening B far enough for a finger hold beyond the cigarette to be obtained on face 28, and then the cigarette pulled through die A to complete the creasing operation. As an "alternate, the cigarette can be pulled only part way through and then pulled back in a reverse direction so that the mouth end of the cigarette will not be disturbed. Most smokers find no objection to small diameter reduction in size when the cigarette is pulled through the die member. When the cigarette is moved through die A the creases 25 are formed due to compression of the cigarette, and air spaces will be provided between the wrapper and the tobacco particles when the wrapper springs back after removal from the die member, since the paper wrapper rebounds or comes back a greater amount than the tobacco.

The creases form multiple inward ridges that hold the tobacco particles in place as the wrapper springs back, thus forming the air spaces adjacent to these ridges.

Actual temperature measurements show that whereas a conventional cigarette ember attains a temperature above 1600 Fahrenheit, when the cigarette is creased as described above tobacco distillation temperatures are held below 1000 Fahrenheit as evidenced by reports submitted herewith and made part of the file wrapper. This allows distillation of all smoke fractions needed for satisfactory smoke, yet prevents distillation and pyrolytic action which normally takes place in temperature range from 1000 to 1600 plus Fahrenheit for the ember. Medical and research opinion agree that it is the high temperatures, i.e., above 1000 Fehrenheit in the burn ing zone which produce the harmful elements in cigarette smoke. (Chapter Six of US. Surgeon Generals Report on Smoking and Health Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Tobacco and Tobacco Smoke-Public Health Service Publication No. 1103.)

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing, it is obvious that while such a die previously described can be used by a smoker on an already made cigarette, the die A can be used in a factory cigarette making machine whereby the long, uncut, continuously formed cigarette rod or stock C can be run through such a die before the rod or stock is cut into individual cigarettes C.

It will be noted that the die A shown in F163. 4 and 5 is provided by a conventional cardboard matchbook now used as a popular advertising media, and often given away with a pack of cigarettes for the advertising value thereon. The die member 60 is provided by the cover of such a matchbook, and it has an opening of about .280" punched therein, this opening being designated at 61. The creasing operation, with just a punched opening in the matchbook cardboard cover, would be a little easier if the cover material is of slightly heavier stock to give it a little more rigidity but it will work with covers now in widespread use.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the cigarette C will have the creases 25 formed in the wrapper 22 when the cigarette is moved through this opening, as suggested by the arrow 62, providing air spaces between the wrapper 22 and the tobacco particles 23 upon removal of the cigarette.

The die A" shown in FIG. 6 is quite similar to that disclosed and described in FIGS. 4 and 5 and again the die member 70 takes the form of a conventional matchbook, and the cover thereof has a rounded walled hollow rivet or grommet 71 of the correct inner diameter inserted in the cover.

In FIG. 7, the die A follows the same general arrangement as in FIG. 6, except that the hollow rivet or grommet 81 is provided in the base portion of the matchbook so as to extend therethrough. This will eliminate the staple 82 shown in FIG. 6 to hold the matchbook together.

It is apparent that the opening 61 provided in FIGS. 4 and 5, or the hollow rivet or grommet 71 and 81 in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively, could be provided in inexpensive plastic discs or sheets.

The opening when punched or formed in cardboard, plastic and the like can have a countersunk form on one side to facilitate the insertion of the cigarette, i.e., without the removal of cardboard or plastic stock, and the rim of the opening can be sunk or depressed in one direction.

I claim:

1. The method for creasing the wrapper of an unlit cigarette article to control tobacco burning and preclude formation of high temperature smoke fractions above approximately 1000 Fahrenheit, the cigarette article consisting of tobacco particles encased in a wrapper and the latter having a longitudinal outer surface, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a die member with an opening through which the cigarette article may be moved, the Opening having a size range of .270" to .300" in diameter for a cigarette with a diameter of .315", and this proportion being maintained for cigarette articles with larger or smaller diameters;

(b) advancing the cigarette article endwise through the die member opening so as to compress the longitudinal outer surface of the cigarette article inwardly to reduce its diameter, and at the same time creasing the wrapper and forming multiple inward ridges engaging with the tobacco particles;

(c) removing the cigarette article thus treated from the die member opening so as to provide air spaces between the wrapper and the tobacco particles adjacent to these ridges due to the latter holding the tobacco particles in place when the wrapper springs back, and the total air space thus provided being approximately equal to a gap of .001" thick multiplied by the circumference of the cigarette, and these spaces being sufiicient to hold the distillation of smoke fractions to not more than approximately 1000 Fahrenheit when the cigarette article is smoked.

2. The method of creasing cigarette wrapper to control tobacco burning, as set forth in claim 1:

(d) and in which said article is a cigarette rod having sufiicient length for a number of cigarettes and is run through the die member opening during manufacture of cigarettes in a cigarette making machine so as to compress the entire longitudinal outer surface of the cigarette rod and form creases therein, this being accomplished prior to cutting the rod into individual cigarettes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Thompson 131--235 X Caldwell 131-235 Cameron 131--235 10 Omelina 131235 Foster 131-25 6 188,796 3/1877 Grosskopf 131--79 X 711,987 10/1902 Ludington 13168 1,130,720 3/1915 Ewers 131-68 3,244,183 4/1966 Pym 131-68 X FOREIGN PATENTS 407,243 3/1934 Great Britain.

717,758 11/1954 Great Britain.

784,942 10/ 1957 Great Britain.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner. 

